In anticipation of September’s Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, students from 25 school districts throughout Allegheny County convened March 26 at Acrisure Stadium to discuss their efforts to promote acceptance and counter hate in their communities.
The conference, which marked a halfway point between last October’s Eradicate Hate summit and the one planned for September, included about 250 students in addition to numerous educators and others. Eradicate Hate has held what it bills as the largest anti-hate conference in the world since 2021, part of which is a student summit.
Though the reconvening event featured numerous speakers and presentations, it mainly served as an opportunity for students to exchange ideas and build relationships for potential cross-district collaboration.
“To get this many young people out of school on the same day at the same time seated at the same table is the hardest part,” said Nick Haberman, coordinator of civic engagement and anti-hate education for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
Haberman said he was “very pleased” with the nine schools that offered presentations about the work in their districts, which he hopes will provide inspiration for students elsewhere.
Though students initially sat among their respective classmates while listening to speakers such as former Steeler Charlie Batch, Haberman soon gave instructions for students to rearrange themselves so each event table featured representatives from 10 different schools.
That rearrangement, according to North Hills junior Janiya Cassell, was a “plot twist” — but a good one.
Part of an active group of students in her high school’s Diversity Club, Cassell and other North Hills students took the stage to talk about their school’s Do No Harm Week, peer mentoring program and their work in district elementary schools.
“Eventually, we will be running this world, and we need to make sure it’s kinder out there,” Cassell said.
The junior said she was happy with her group’s presentation but also was “inspired” by the work of other students she met at the event.
Etash Jhanji, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, presented with his peers about the district’s recent Multicultural Night, which featured South Asian dance and music performances and food samples from several of the school’s cultural clubs.
His first time at an Eradicate Hate event, the senior said he hopes to integrate what he learned from other students to improve efforts in his school district.
“I think it’s all great, and I think we all have something to learn from each other,” Jhanji said.
Though the event featured many newcomers, South Allegheny senior Kaitlyn Hall was not one of them. A veteran attendee of Eradicate Hate summits since the first one to include students in 2022, Hall said it made her emotional to see how much the movement had grown in the three years since.
Participating in the events, she said, has made her a “better and more understanding person,” and the March event pushes anti-hate efforts forward “exponentially.”
Hall said she appreciated that educators and other adults were seated separately from students, allowing young people to plan and collaborate among themselves.
“Coming here, it truly does remind me why I’m fighting for what I’m fighting for,” she said.
Set to graduate soon, Hall said she is sad that none of the original attendees from 2022 will be involved in South Allegheny’s Eradicate Hate group. But she also said it’s an opportunity for the next generation of students to step up.
Ajani Mbandi, a senior at Gateway High School, said he also is focusing on developing connections with younger students to keep his district’s work going.
He and his peers spoke about a recent assembly at Gateway focused on the history and culture of the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black fraternities and sororities.
The group also highlighted Gateway High School’s upcoming Get Up summit, another student gathering which Mbandi said will be a space for “honest conversation and meaningful connections.” The event will feature several speakers such as former Seattle Seahawk Deon Butler and break-out sessions for students to talk.
“I see the relationships I’m building, and I see the work I’m doing through my friendships,” Mbandi said.
Featured Local Businesses
Successful change, Haberman said, only comes after a “series of wins.” And for Eradicate Hate, he said the March summit was one of those wins.
During the event, students also spoke with REACH representatives, family members and survivors of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, which left 11 dead in the worst antisemitic attack in American history. The Eradicate Hate Global Summit came about as a direct reaction to that attack.
For September’s summit, Haberman said there will be space for every school in the county, both public and private. He said he hopes the movement will have grown even more by then.
“By allowing the students to really explore all the different opportunities, I think we’re going to start to see things we never imagined,” Haberman said.
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit will take place Sept. 15-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.